1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an inkjet recording apparatus in which ink droplets discharged from a recording head to the outside of a recording sheet are guided to a waste ink absorber.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Applications Laid-Open No. 2000-158678 and No. 2007-160870 discuss inkjet recording apparatuses that are configured such that ink droplets discharged from a recording head to the outside of a recording sheet for borderless printing or by a preliminary discharge for the sake of maintenance of the recording head are guided to a waste ink absorber.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-158678 discusses a technique for providing a waste ink conduction member in contact with the waste ink absorber and transferring ink droplets, which are discharged into an opening of a platen, to the waste ink absorber through the waste ink conduction member.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-150870 discusses a technique for providing a replaceable waste ink absorber immediately below a platen, and flowing ink droplets, which are discharged into an opening of the platen, to the waste ink absorber below through an inclined surface.
According to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-158678, however, the waste ink can flow back through the waste ink conduction member to the surface of the platen because of a water head difference if the inkjet recording apparatus is left greatly tilted with a large amount of the waste ink absorbed in the waste ink absorber.
According to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-160870, the waste ink absorber of replaceable type complicates the configuration and needs replacement costs. With the technique for using an inclined surface to guide the waste ink to the waste ink absorber, the inclined surface becomes long if the platen opening is arranged away from the waste ink absorber. This contributes to an increase in height of an apparatus.